Clemson's Oliver Purnell Link (http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/david-kaplan-chicago-sports/2010/04/breaking-news-depaul-has-candidate-on-campus.html)
Seeing the 1-35 record in print (DePaul's last 2 yrs. in the BE) gives me a sick feeling.
Getting a successful ACC Head coach is impressive. Congratulations DePaul.
Not exactly a home run hire, but certainly better than Reggie Theus.
Wow.
They seemed to have pulled that one out of their hat. Congrats to DePaul.
So, for the record, the list of Big 6 coaches leaving to go to another Big 6 conference school is:
Billy Gillispie (Texas A&M to KENTUCKY)
Tom Crean (Marquette to INDIANA)
Oliver Purnell (Clemson to DePaul)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WhuikFY1Pg
This is a real good hire by DePaul. If you look at his record, he has turned around every team he has coached, and his record at Dayton was much more impressive than Gregory's. People will point to his early flame-outs in the tournament, but IMO this guy can recruit and this guy can coach.
How about...
Sampson from OU to IU
Bennett from WSU to UVa
Howland from Pitt to UCLA
Belein from WVU to Michigan
Huggins from KSU to WVU
Rick Barnes from Clemson to UT, I guess that's going back a ways
Does Tubby from UK to Minnesota count?
Also mentioned in the article that Purnell has NO ties in the city of Chicago. It's going to be interesting to watch him go to work and begin building those relationships.
Quote from: mileskishnish72 on April 06, 2010, 07:35:35 AM
Seeing the 1-35 record in print (DePaul's last 2 yrs. in the BE) gives me a sick feeling.
It should. That loss sucked.
Strange hire at first glance. He's not a Chicago guy. He hasn't been overwhelmingly successful at Clemson and/or Dayton. A solid (not spectacular) coaching record. Not sure his familiarity with the school. Will he be dynamic enough to win over the Chicago media? Should questions be asked (apart from the obvious) as to why he would leave Clemson now?
But, in the end, maybe they see him as a stabilizer. Get them to 20 wins a couple years. Get them to 8-10th in the conference once or twice. Get out of the basement and not be such a horrible program. And then hope the job is more attractive. Of course, at that point, they may no longer be in the Big East.
Quote from: NCMUFan on April 06, 2010, 07:42:40 AM
Getting a successful ACC Head coach is impressive. Congratulations DePaul.
Define successful. In Clemson's best season under Purnell the Tigers finished 3rd in the ACC, other than that the Tigers never finished better than 5th. His teams finished better than .500 in the league just 3 times in 7 years. In the end he did fine at Clemson but if he was truly 'successful' he'd still be there especially in an era when Wake is trending down, Maryland's peak is modest, NCSU stinks, UVa is awful, BC is barely average, GaTech perennially underachieves, VaTech is average & Miami is a joke.
What an underwhelming hire, a transitional hire at best. It is likely the best DePaul coud do now, which shows how far they've fallen. 22 yrs as an NCAA coach and zero NCAA tourney wins. I'd bet that Clemson fans are happier this morning than DePaul fans.
Quote from: NYWarrior on April 06, 2010, 08:11:40 AM
Define successful. In Clemson's best season under Purnell the Tigers finished 3rd in the ACC, other than that the Tigers never finished better than 5th. His teams finished better than .500 in the league just 3 times in 7 years. In the end he did fine at Clemson, but if he was truly 'successful' he'd still be there especially in an era when Wake is trending down, Maryland's peak is modest, NCSU stinks, UVa is awful, BC is barely average, GaTech perennially underachieves, VaTech is average & Miami is a joke.
What an underwhelming hire, a transitional hire at best. I'd bet that Clemson fans are happier this morning than DePaul fans.
Do you know how bad Clemson's basketball program has traditionally been? It is in a remote location in a state that produces no basketball talent whatsoever, at a school that cares much, much more about football than it does basketball. The B10 equivalent of Clemson is Iowa...and you put those numbers at Iowa and you are considered a damn good coach.
This honestly is about the best that DePaul could have hoped for.
Quote from: The Sultan of South Wayne on April 06, 2010, 08:18:27 AM
Do you know how bad Clemson's basketball program has traditionally been? It is in a remote location in a state that produces no basketball talent whatsoever, at a school that cares much, much more about football than it does basketball. The B10 equivalent of Clemson is Iowa...and you put those numbers at Iowa and you are considered a damn good coach.
Actually Clemson did very well under Rick Barnes, Cliff Ellis took the program to three NCAA tournaments (including a Sweet 16) and 7 post-season bids in 9 yrs, and Bill Foster led the program to an Elite 8. To say Clemson was a traditional doormat before Purnell showed up is simply not true...it is a tough place to coach, no doubt, but looking back in the last 30 years only Shyatt truly struggled and they cut the cord on him after just three seasons.
Quote from: The Sultan of South Wayne on April 06, 2010, 08:18:27 AM
This honestly is about the best that DePaul could have hoped for.
Under JLP, yes. I'm glad she's still in charge on Belden Avenue
Quote from: NYWarrior on April 06, 2010, 08:26:14 AM
Actually Clemson did very well under Rick Barnes, Cliff Ellis took the program to three NCAA tournaments (including a Sweet 16) and 7 post-season bids in 9 yrs, and Bill Foster led the program to an Elite 8. To say Clemson was a traditional doormat before Purnell showed up is simply not true...it is a tough place to coach, no doubt, but looking back in the last 30 years only Shyatt truly struggled and they cut the cord on him after just three seasons.
Rick Barnes record at Clemson was no better than Purnell's. In fact it was slightly worse. Barnes finished 6th, 6th, 4th and 4th when there was only 9 teams in the conference. His final ACC record was 28-36. (43%)
Ellis made a Sweet 16 but two years later he finished in the basement of the conference. His final ACC record was 61-87. (41%)
Foster made an Elite 8 in 1980, but finished with an ACC record of 44-74. (37%)
So yeah, you can make a splash there occasionally, but by an large is a not a good basketball program in a league full of fantastic basketball programs. BTW, Purnell won 44% of his ACC games, so by that measure he was the most successful coach they have had in recent memory.
Quote from: The Sultan of South Wayne on April 06, 2010, 08:40:11 AM
So yeah, you can make a splash there occasionally, but by an large is a not a good basketball program in a league full of fantastic basketball programs. BTW, Purnell won 44% of his ACC games, so by that measure he was the most successful coach they have had in recent memory.
Purnell wins 44% of his ACC games, is 0-22 years in the NCAA tournament -- and parlays that track record into a gig at a program in a much tougher conference. The guy did build two decent programs at Dayton and Clemson but at age 57 with a 7-year deal in-hand -- this feels like a transitional hire; DPU settled for somebody.
Quote from: NYWarrior on April 06, 2010, 08:50:03 AM
Purnell wins 44% of his ACC games, is 0-22 years in the NCAA tournament -- and parlays that track record into a gig at a program in a much tougher conference. The guy did build two decent programs at Dayton and Clemson but at age 57 with a 7-year deal in-hand -- this feels like a transitional hire; DPU settled for somebody.
You say all this like it's bad for Marquette.
I'd rather DePaul be good, but I'll settle for mocking their
mediocrity ineptitude.
Quote from: Henry Sugar on April 06, 2010, 08:57:46 AM
You say all this like it's bad for Marquette.
I'd rather DePaul be good, but I'll settle for mocking their mediocrity ineptitude.
JLP's reign on Belden Avenue is the gift that keeps on giving for Marquette and other programs with a decided interest in the Chicago market.
(http://rlv.zcache.com/jelly_of_the_month_club_member_tshirt-p235782062219817298q6vb_400.jpg)
Quote from: NYWarrior on April 06, 2010, 08:50:03 AM
Purnell wins 44% of his ACC games, is 0-22 years in the NCAA tournament -- and parlays that track record into a gig at a program in a much tougher conference. The guy did build two decent programs at Dayton and Clemson but at age 57 with a 7-year deal in-hand -- this feels like a transitional hire; DPU settled for somebody.
DePaul needed someone exactly like Purnell. Their program is in an absolute state of disrepair. They needed someone to come in and change the culture, someone that has a history of turning around moribound programs at other places, who knows what it takes to do that sort of thing. Getting a Reggie Theus or Isaiah Thomas or any of the other loads of names that have been mentioned for the job would have been an absolute disaster. Purnell is the only guy mentioned for the job that actually has the skills to do what that program needs.
He tookover and Old Dominion program that was down and turned it around. He took a Dayton program that was terrible in the decade before him and turned into into a good one. He took a Clemson program that was a joke under Shyatt and turned them into a consistent post season program.
He's not going to be a world beater, but that's not what they need right now, and that's not what was available. He's going to do what he always does. Come in for a few years, turn around the program, build the foundation for what that program could be, and move on to the next rebuilding job.
Perfect hire for them right now.
Quote from: Brewtown Andy on April 06, 2010, 08:02:46 AM
So, for the record, the list of Big 6 coaches leaving to go to another Big 6 conference school is:
Billy Gillispie (Texas A&M to KENTUCKY)
Tom Crean (Marquette to INDIANA)
Oliver Purnell (Clemson to DePaul)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WhuikFY1Pg
well we know how the first two turned out :D ;D
in all seriousness, Purnell was probably 1 year away from getting fired at Clemson the perennial collapses of almost biblical proportions were wearing very thin his support. New deal and truly a great opportunity if they can find a way to overcome there hurdles. And kudos to Depaul aprt from the yearly collpases at Clemson he got it done at Dayton, a job that can be compared to Depaul's
Quote from: Litehouse on April 06, 2010, 08:06:17 AM
How about...
Sampson from OU to IU
Bennett from WSU to UVa
Howland from Pitt to UCLA
Belein from WVU to Michigan
Huggins from KSU to WVU
Rick Barnes from Clemson to UT, I guess that's going back a ways
Does Tubby from UK to Minnesota count?
I'll add a few more to that list
Roy Williams from Kansas to North Carolina
Bill Self from Illinois to Kansas
Trent Johnson from Stanford to LSU
Quote from: bma725 on April 06, 2010, 09:18:16 AM
DePaul needed someone exactly like Purnell. Their program is in an absolute state of disrepair. They needed someone to come in and change the culture, someone that has a history of turning around moribound programs at other places, who knows what it takes to do that sort of thing. Getting a Reggie Theus or Isaiah Thomas or any of the other loads of names that have been mentioned for the job would have been an absolute disaster. Purnell is the only guy mentioned for the job that actually has the skills to do what that program needs.
He tookover and Old Dominion program that was down and turned it around. He took a Dayton program that was terrible in the decade before him and turned into into a good one. He took a Clemson program that was a joke under Shyatt and turned them into a consistent post season program.
He's not going to be a world beater, but that's not what they need right now, and that's not what was available. He's going to do what he always does. Come in for a few years, turn around the program, build the foundation for what that program could be, and move on to the next rebuilding job.
Perfect hire for them right now.
Agreed.
DePaul is at ground zero right now. If he can get them to a "5" and jumpstart the winning culture, it will be a good hire.
Hell, if he can get them to .500 in the BEAST and if the athletic department can figure out some good marketing, they will be light years ahead of where they are now.
Contrary to reports, Purnell does have ties to Chicago. He has been coaching UIC under the alias Jimmy Collins since 1996.
DePaul to announce new basketball coach
CHICAGO (STMW) -- DePaul University will hold a press conference Tuesday afternoon to announce the school's new men's basketball coach, Oliver Purnell.
Purnell, 56, has coached Clemson to six straight postseason appearances - including three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances - in his seven seasons there.
His .694 (93-41) winning percentage over the last four seasons is ranked third in the ACC with only Mike Krzyzewski of Duke and North Carolina's Roy Williams posting higher winning percentages in that span, a release from DePaul said.
Prior to accepting the Clemson job, he held coaching stints at Dayton (1994-2003), Old Dominion (1991-94) and Radford (1988-91), the release said.
His hiring ends the search to replace Jerry Wainwright, who was fired Jan. 11.
He is expected to sign a long term deal of seven years worth an estimated $15 million.
Quote from: The Sultan of South Wayne on April 06, 2010, 08:18:27 AM
This honestly is about the best that DePaul could have hoped for.
Bingo!
I'd be happy if I was a DePaul fan.
Quote from: bma725 on April 06, 2010, 09:18:16 AM
DePaul needed someone exactly like Purnell. Their program is in an absolute state of disrepair. They needed someone to come in and change the culture, someone that has a history of turning around moribound programs at other places, who knows what it takes to do that sort of thing. Getting a Reggie Theus or Isaiah Thomas or any of the other loads of names that have been mentioned for the job would have been an absolute disaster. Purnell is the only guy mentioned for the job that actually has the skills to do what that program needs.
He tookover and Old Dominion program that was down and turned it around. He took a Dayton program that was terrible in the decade before him and turned into into a good one. He took a Clemson program that was a joke under Shyatt and turned them into a consistent post season program.
He's not going to be a world beater, but that's not what they need right now, and that's not what was available. He's going to do what he always does. Come in for a few years, turn around the program, build the foundation for what that program could be, and move on to the next rebuilding job.
Perfect hire for them right now.
Yes, thank you.
DePaul is a disaster. They were not going to get some hot, young coach who is going to stick around for 20 years and win championships. They weren't going to get an established coach like Dixon who is at a top program right now. They needed, and they got, a program builder. Someone with a track record of doing exactly what DePaul needs.
In the next seven years, if he gets DePaul into the top half of the BE and gets them back to the NCAAs, he's done his job. He would have left the program in a much better state than when he got there.
Quote from: The Sultan of South Wayne on April 06, 2010, 10:10:44 AM
In the next seven years, if he gets DePaul into the top half of the BE and gets them back to the NCAAs, he's done his job. He would have left the program in a much better state than when he got there.
If he wins two conference games next year he already could leave it better than he started.
Check out Purnell's graduation rates at Clemson. I wonder if he is leaving CLemson before Clemson is penalized.
So Purnell had a $1.3 million per year contract at Clemson, but only a $250,000 buy out. He signed a 7 year, $15 million deal at DePaul.
Not hard to see why he took that job.
Quote from: bma725 on April 06, 2010, 09:18:16 AM
DePaul needed someone exactly like Purnell. Their program is in an absolute state of disrepair. They needed someone to come in and change the culture, someone that has a history of turning around moribound programs at other places, who knows what it takes to do that sort of thing. Getting a Reggie Theus or Isaiah Thomas or any of the other loads of names that have been mentioned for the job would have been an absolute disaster. Purnell is the only guy mentioned for the job that actually has the skills to do what that program needs.
He tookover and Old Dominion program that was down and turned it around. He took a Dayton program that was terrible in the decade before him and turned into into a good one. He took a Clemson program that was a joke under Shyatt and turned them into a consistent post season program.
He's not going to be a world beater, but that's not what they need right now, and that's not what was available. He's going to do what he always does. Come in for a few years, turn around the program, build the foundation for what that program could be, and move on to the next rebuilding job.
Perfect hire for them right now.
+1 You sir, are a posting god.
Given what DePaul currently is, this is not the home run hire that JLP led them all to believe was coming, yet in reality, this would be a standing triple. It's about as good as DePaul could have hoped for.
They may desire a guy that has won a game in the tournament, but he gets teams there, and has done a solid job rebuilding not one, but two major conference level programs already.
I don't buy the argument that you need a "Chicago guy" for the job, particularly for recruiting; that's such an old style of thinking that got them to where they are now. We have a Texan coaching our team, and we seem to still be able to recruit Chicago and Wisconsin just fine. Everyone is going to Chicago for players, and to think that Purnell (or whomever DePaul hired) has to build a fence around the city is ridiculous; you need talent, and it shouldn't matter in the end where it comes from. Did you ever think 2 years ago before Buzz we would have 9 players from Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida on our roster this coming season?
Purnell will have them more competitive immediately, but I still think postseason play and contention in the Big East is a few years off at least. However, if Purnell can shock everyone and pull a Wayne Blackshear to DePaul in 2011, things could change rapidly for them (and us).
Hey, they didn't get their 3 million a year guy, but they raided the ACC for a new coach and that's kind of sweet to see a BE school do. Also, Purnell has the skills to build a program and with where DePaul is beginning from, that's a necessity.
Quote from: Fullodds on April 06, 2010, 11:30:06 AM
Check out Purnell's graduation rates at Clemson. I wonder if he is leaving CLemson before Clemson is penalized.
Confucius say: "A wise coach jumps before he feels push in the back".
It will be interesting to see if the recruitment of players who don't graduate becomes an issue at DePaul. If it does, it will be interesting to see if DePaul protected itself contractually.
So all those folks that said DePaul was blowing it so badly? Sometimes hires don't have to be made in 2 days or even 2 weeks.
Homerun hire? No. But, they get a coach who has gone to multiple NCAA tournaments RECENTLY and plays in the ACC. I'd say DePaul did pretty good all things considered.
Of course we won't know for 5 years or so, but it's hard to imagine them being any worse than now.
Good job by DePaul and i'd say theChicago sportswriters can go pound each other.
Quote from: Canadian Dimes on April 06, 2010, 09:27:10 AM
well we know how the first two turned out :D ;D
in all seriousness, Purnell was probably 1 year away from getting fired at Clemson the perennial collapses of almost biblical proportions were wearing very thin his support. New deal and truly a great opportunity if they can find a way to overcome there hurdles. And kudos to Depaul aprt from the yearly collpases at Clemson he got it done at Dayton, a job that can be compared to Depaul's
Actually we don't know how the first two turned out...we know how one turned out and I'm sure BG will be back.
Now, the only problem I have with Purnell taking the job is the way he left, his team had to find out via text messages and finding it out on ESPN.
http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/ncb/news/story?id=5059657
Quote from: Tom Crean's Tanning Bed on April 06, 2010, 05:27:12 PM
Did you ever think 2 years ago before Buzz we would have 9 players from Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida on our roster this coming season?
That's an amazing stat.
Quote from: Tom Crean's Tanning Bed on April 06, 2010, 05:27:12 PM
I don't buy the argument that you need a "Chicago guy" for the job, particularly for recruiting; that's such an old style of thinking that got them to where they are now. We have a Texan coaching our team, and we seem to still be able to recruit Chicago and Wisconsin just fine. Everyone is going to Chicago for players, and to think that Purnell (or whomever DePaul hired) has to build a fence around the city is ridiculous; you need talent, and it shouldn't matter in the end where it comes from. Did you ever think 2 years ago before Buzz we would have 9 players from Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida on our roster this coming season?
Given that he is from Texas, and that the players from Georgia and North Carolina are JC transfers, that shouldn't surprise anyone. That's where his connections are.
My feeling is that when he develops better connections in the midwest, you will start to see more "local" players on his roster.
Quote from: warrior07 on April 07, 2010, 07:58:36 AM
That's an amazing stat.
A potentially scary one as well if (when) he leaves. Need to keep the strong local \ regional ties strong. Doesn't mean Buzz isn't as shown with Vander, Smith, etc coming into the program next year. I hope that continues because at the end of the day we will need to continue to get kids from Midwest in the long run (unless we plan on continuing to hire coaches from the South which is unlikely).
Quote from: ChicosBailBonds on April 07, 2010, 01:30:31 PM
A potentially scary one as well if (when) he leaves. Need to keep the strong local \ regional ties strong. Doesn't mean Buzz isn't as shown with Vander, Smith, etc coming into the program next year. I hope that continues because at the end of the day we will need to continue to get kids from Midwest in the long run (unless we plan on continuing to hire coaches from the South which is unlikely).
What a shocker, the negative twist on an aspect of Buzz's success from you...
It is an amazing stat. Buzz can go get all the outta staters and out of midwesterners he wants if you ask me. He has gotten the best player out of Wisconsin the last 2 yrs, and a top 5 player out of Illinois, thats good enough
Many traditionalists will feel the way Chicos does, and dont get me wrond I agree that you need to recruit and get the talent from your backyard, but that is the extent of it. The MU coach needs to be in on the MOST TALENTED players from his backyard, not on many players from his back yard. I commend Buzz for going out and recruiting NATIONALLY to get the best talent he can, and not settling for Sconnie or Illinois lesser players. I know its hard to grasp that MU is treading towards recruiting like some of the bigger programs in the nation, but it isnt scary in the least bit
Quote from: ChicosBailBonds on April 07, 2010, 01:30:31 PM
A potentially scary one as well if (when) he leaves. Need to keep the strong local \ regional ties strong. Doesn't mean Buzz isn't as shown with Vander, Smith, etc coming into the program next year. I hope that continues because at the end of the day we will need to continue to get kids from Midwest in the long run (unless we plan on continuing to hire coaches from the South which is unlikely).
Yes, a major program that recruits nationally is down-right terrifying!
What were MU's ties to the south before Buzz? They didn't really have any. Who's to say that when Buzz's tenure at MU is up that the new coach will not be able to recruit the midwest...or the northeast or the west or even Europe?
In the end, where the recruits come from doesn't really make a difference as long as they can play.
Quote from: mudimitri on April 07, 2010, 02:08:13 PM
What a shocker, the negative twist on an aspect of Buzz's success from you...
It is an amazing stat. Buzz can go get all the outta staters and out of midwesterners he wants if you ask me. He has gotten the best player out of Wisconsin the last 2 yrs, and a top 5 player out of Illinois, thats good enough
Many traditionalists will feel the way Chicos does, and dont get me wrond I agree that you need to recruit and get the talent from your backyard, but that is the extent of it. The MU coach needs to be in on the MOST TALENTED players from his backyard, not on many players from his back yard. I commend Buzz for going out and recruiting NATIONALLY to get the best talent he can, and not settling for Sconnie or Illinois lesser players. I know its hard to grasp that MU is treading towards recruiting like some of the bigger programs in the nation, but it isnt scary in the least bit
Please read again what I wrote....thanks.
Quote from: ChicosBailBonds on April 07, 2010, 02:53:00 PM
Please read again what I wrote....thanks.
Im pretty sure reading some of your posts the first time is difficult enough...
Hopefully someone makes sure they tell Buzz that if (when) he decides he is planning on leaving, he makes sure to spend the last few yrs recruiting in the midwest, just so the replacement can be better off